Work in Process, LEAF Review Magazine

Many people have begun to ask themselves the question, what is work going to be like when we can go back. Do I want to go back? Why will going into an office be better than working from home? A year of not wasting time on a commute to and from work on a stuffy and crowded train and having lunch breaks on the comfort of one's own sofa has become the new norm. Many companies have already decided that working from home is a more efficient use of time and money and will carry on doing it after the pandemic. People have had more time to focus on themselves, working out, eating healthy, reading, baking, walking, enjoy their own space and so much more so how will people be encouraged back into the office?

Alessandro Ranaldi from Fosters and Partners was interviewed by LEAF magazine to discuss the future of working. He speaks of the cultural shift COVID has forced us into, rewriting our rules of work 

"WITH THE ABILITY TO WORK FLEXIBLY AND REMOTELY, THE OFFICE IS A PLACE FOR CONNECTION AND GATHERING, FOR INFORMATION EXCHANGE, FOR EMPATHY AND EXPERIENCE". 

This quote highlights that work is more than work, it is a social environment for people to develop, learn, collaborate. Although Zoom has been essential for working from home, it lacks the reality of what work is like and the conversations that naturally occur in the office, the 'random encounters and UNPLANNED CONVERSATIONS that are the most valued form of communication'. Therefore, the more casual side of work is what is missed and so it is suggested that the future of office design will include the essence of the home to encourage the conversations that as a human, we need to stay inspired and motivated. Ranaldi speaks of designing large multipurpose rooms with a few solo working environments in a large open plan office with a focus on social activities and connected communal environments. These environments are also proposed to be extremely flexible to cater for the possibility that there will be an option to come into work or not. 

With this flexibility comes the reality of catering for 150 people in an office one day and 50 the next, parking requirements, office hours, security needs, lighting, HVAC, employee and amenity services from dining to exercise also need to be considered for the success of a design. 

(November 2020)

Source: https://secure.viewer.zmags.com/publication/c94da1b8#/c94da1b8/26 [Pages 23,24]